Days And Nights (Book of Life and Maya and the Three One Shots)

I Love Her

After talking to a mysterious woman, Manolo realizes his feelings for Maria.

Manolo was done with practice for the day and was sitting on a bench, reading a letter from Maria.

He almost couldn't focus on the letter, his mind lost in thought. Since he was a kid, Manolo felt something for Maria. He didn't know what it was, but he still felt it now, and he couldn't figure out what it was.

"Hello, there, my dear."

Manolo looked up to see a woman smiling down at him. She had long, wavy, black hair, wearing a long red dress with golden eyes, and looked to be in her fifties.

"Oh, hello." Manolo said.

"Do you mind if I sit here?"

"No, not at all." 

The woman sat on the bench next to Manolo. She noticed his letter and the look on his face as he read.

"May I ask what you're reading?" She asked.

"A letter from a friend." Manolo smiled, "She's in Europe right now, but it's only a matter of time before she comes home."

The woman smiled warmly, "How long have you known her?"

"For most of my life."

"That's a long time. And you write to each other often?" 

"All the time. We send pictures, too, so we know how to find each other when she returns."

The woman hummed with intrigue, "What's she like?"

Manolo’s smile grew brighter, "She's smart, kind, strong, talented, rebellious… The funny thing is that her father sent her to Europe to become a 'proper lady.'" He chuckled to himself, his cheeks tinting red, "If he only knew what they're teaching her; art, literature, horseback riding. She won't be a "proper" lady any time soon."

The woman laughed brightly, "My, I'd love to meet her when she returns." She said, "She sounds very special."

"She is."

"There doesn't happen to be a picture with that letter, is there?"

"There is, actually." Manolo plucked off a small picture stuck to the letter and handed it to the woman.

"My…" The woman said, "She's a very beautiful young lady."

"Yeah, she…" Manolo’s brows furrowed as a thought came to him. He was about to say Maria was beautiful. It's not that Maria isn't beautiful, but it's that he finds her beautiful. It was only now that he realized this. Suddenly, all the pieces fell into place; the excitement he felt when he'd get a letter from Maria, the way she crept into his mind when he played a song, the warmth in his chest when he thought about her. That would mean that…

"What's the matter, my dear?" The woman asked, noticing the look on his face.

"I… I think I love her." Manolo realized, warmth spreading across his face. 

The woman smiled and shrugged, "Oh, is that all? Well, you're going to have to tell her the minute she returns." 

"What? No, no, I can't tell her."

"I don't see why not. She'll be happy to hear it."

Manolo paused and took a deep breath, "She'd never think of me that way. She's probably in love with someone else."

"Don't give up so easily. You never know until you see her again. Besides, some women like men who play guitar." The woman tapped the guitar strapped to Manolo’s back.

Manolo looked down at the letter with a sigh, "You might be right." 

"I know I am." The woman smiled as she got up from the bench, "It was nice speaking with you, my boy. I look forward to seeing how your love progresses."

"Adiós, señora." Manolo said.

Manolo thought a little about what the woman said. She was right. He shouldn't give up, at least not now. But there was still the possibility of Maria not returning his feelings. He wasn't going to get his hopes up just yet.

He didn't notice the marigold petals on the ground.

Little did he know that the letter once held three words that were now torn from the bottom corner of the paper.

I love you​​​​​​​